14 ms·
The Good Soldier Švejk (2018)
- hilbert42 3y agoHašek's The Good Soldier Švejk is an absolutely essential read, it has to be in the list of the top 100 books to read before one departs this planet! Not only is it hilariously funny it's also full of the tribulations of life and how the system—bureaucracies—here the army—lands one in absurd and unexpected situations. It's a great shame Hašek died so young (he was a great observer of human nature). Do yourself a real favor, read it or get an audio book.
- mooreds 3y agoHow does it compare to Catch-22?
- Lariscus 3y agoJoseph Heller claimed he would have never written it had he never read The Good Soldier Švejk.
- mooreds 3y agoHmm. A quick Google didn't find that. From https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/17/theater/newsandfeatures/the-model-of-a-soldier-but-no-model-soldier.html https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/17/theater/newsandfeatures/t... "Heller, who died in 1999, told various interviewers that Céline and Kafka were his most powerful influences and that "Svejk" was "just a funny book.""
- Zircom 3y agoFound a quote, had to use the anglicized spelling though. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2011/08/heller-201108 https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2011/08/heller-201108 "The Czech writer Arnošt Lustig claimed that Heller had told him at a New York party for Milos Forman in the late 1960s that he couldn’t have written Catch-22 without first reading Jaroslav Hašek’s unfinished World War I satire, The Good Soldier Schweik. "
- malermeister 3y agoGermanized, really.
- _visgean 3y agothere are some references in catch-22 and its follow up Closing time.
- bee_rider 3y agoI was really surprised by Closing Time. I forget all the details of it, but I remember finding it just relentlessly depressing. The only degree to which I thought it worked was, it really emphasized the extent to which we really don’t need to know what happens to characters after the story is done, it is better if we just imagine they go on to have their lives.
- _visgean 3y agoSame. It was so heavy compared to catch-22. But I am not sure the aging perspective could have been written any different.
- rightbyte 3y agoI think if you like one, you like the other. I think the Svejk book have a more innocent tone and is less cynical. But I was way to young when I read them to have a "deep" understanding of the contexts.
- romwell 3y agoI'd say it's more cynical. There's a place for hope in Catch-22. In Svejk, the gruesome absurdity of the war prevails in all situations.
- imjonse 3y agoI found Catch-22 much more hilarious than Švejk.
- ufocia 3y agoI thought Svejk was more available to a younger reader. However, like someone already mentioned, it has enough layers for a reader of almost any age to enjoy. I'd read them both.
- watwut 3y agoIt makes sense unlike Catch-22 that does not make sense.
- soperj 3y agoit only makes sense once you've already read it once.
- red-iron-pine 3y agoCatch-22 is funny during the read but after the end, and in reflection, is pretty dark. Svejk is generally funnier, IMO
- mcepl 3y agoŠvejk is too much slanted by the expectations of “just funny” and by (absolutely awesome, but too nice) illustrations by Josef Lada. When listening to the audio version of the book, I was shocked how actually horrific story it is. I have mentioned elsewhere in this thread a Czech literary historian (M. C. Putna) who called “The Good Solider Švejk” as “Kafka’s ‘Trial’ by other means”. I think he is quite correct.
- The_Colonel 3y agoAs a child, I understood Svejk as pure comedy and didn't get any of the darkness.
- sireat 3y agoI thought Švejk to be much funnier. Rather I thought Catch-22 to be a so-so imitation of Švejk. Then again I've been re-reading Švejk since childhood. Similarly, how you can tell when Hasek dies before finishing Švejk and his friend takes over with the ending, the jokes just fall off a bit.
- romwell 3y ago>How does it compare to Catch-22? It's the Catch-22 of WW1. A bit more gruesome and obscene, both less serious and much darker than Catch-22, and highlighting a wider scope of social (and military) issues.
- poloniculmov 3y agoHis short stories are also hilarious and in the same vein as Svejk's adventures.
- weinzierl 3y agoI've enjoyed Švejk's adventures, but never read any Hašek's short stories. Can you recommend a particular one you like?
- dhosek 3y agoThere was a recent collection of new translations of his stories, many of which had never previously appeared in English. They’re not ideal in that the translations are translations of a German edition of his stories and not the original Czech texts, but they’re still a fun read. https://paradiseeditions.net/products/the-man-without-a-transit-pass https://paradiseeditions.net/products/the-man-without-a-tran...
- mcepl 3y agoYes, they are only hilarious. Švejk on the other hand is in my opinion much more serious. One Czech literary critic call it even “Kafka by other means”. Yes, Hašek was a satiric writer, so that’s how he wrote, but Švejk is IMHO actually a serious book about the horror of a human being liquidated by the impersonal power of modern society.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- hulitu 3y ago> about the horror of a human being liquidated by the impersonal power of modern society it is now forbidden to call war by its name ? /s
- The_Colonel 3y agoŠvejk is what I call a "scalable" book. It works for readers of almost any level. The first time I read it I was maybe 8 years old and had a lot of fun, even though I completely missed most of the nuance.
- hilbert42 3y agoVery true, I wouldn't have recognized many of the nuances had I not had military training and having worked in government bureaucracies.
- runlaszlorun 3y agoOh yeah? I’ll add it to my list. I’ve served and I was thinking of passing on it. Luckily I was well versed before I showed up to Uncle Sam’s doorstep. Catch-22 paints paints a good picture. And had a high counselor who was a Vietnam vet and said Apocalypse Now was the most realistic Vietnam movie he’d. And I can’t say that my experiences in were too far from my expectations. I think the thing people don’t get about the military, at least speaking of my experience in the US’s, is even in places like special operations units and doing the stuff that reads great in a newspaper, often enough there’s an absolute, epic, comedic shitshow going on inside with a cast of characters that you couldn’t even do justice to in a goofball comedy. Suppose that might apply to lots of things. Luckily, no military really has to have their shit together, they just gotta be better than the other side.
- 48864w6ui 3y agoOne of Napoleon's cavalry generals said his average trooper's horsemanship was mediocre at best, yet they still made the tour of Europe. (Later, in the time of Napoleon III, the Prussians would outdo the French in utilizing mediocrity, providing yet another example that for a conscripted military, quantity is its own quality)
- lukan 3y agoMore examples of "scalable" books please?
- sigma5 3y agowhat's the other books that are on your 100 books list to read before one departs this planet ?
- niccl 3y agoNot the original commenter but I'd include: Vanity Fair by Thackeray Mr Johnson by Joyce Cary Lavengro and Romany Rye by George Borrow The Descent of Woman by Elaine Morgan Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter et al. Identity Crisis by Ben Elton
- leononame 3y agoI would add One Hundred Years of Solitude to the list. Probably the book that impacted me the most of all the books I've read. I just can't recommend it enough
- scandox 3y agoThe audio version read by David Horovitch is incredible.
- rompledorph 3y agoOrdered!
- KingOfCoders 3y agoLoved watching Švejk films as a kid.
- weinzierl 3y ago"When the war is over, let’s see each other", said Švejk. "You will find me every day after six o’clock in the 'U Kalicha'" "Then, see you after the war, at six o’clock in the evening." Vodička said. "Better come at six-thirty to be safe if I’m late," Švejk replied. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:U_Kalicha_(Prague)#/media/File%3AU_Kalicha_03.JPG https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:U_Kalicha_(Pra...
- chalst 3y agoYou’ve linked to a Wikimedia category of pictures. I assume this is not intended.
- romanhn 3y agoIt takes me, on mobile, to a picture of what looks to be the real-world "U Kalicha" establishment.
- projektfu 3y agoFrom Mobile Wikipedia, always use the browser's share button to get the canonical URL. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:U_Kalicha_(Prague)#/media/File%3AU_Kalicha_03.JPG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:U_Kalicha_(Pragu...
- bitsinthesky 3y agoWenn die Leute auseinandergehen, da sagen sie “Auf Wiedersehen”
- isolli 3y agoGlad to see this book promoted here! However, having compared the French translation to the original in Czech, I have to warn French-language readers that the translation was atrocious. As in, completely making up words and sentences that were not in the original. (Unfortunately, I know nothing about translations into English, and cannot recommend a good one.) Interestingly, Milan Kundera wrote a book (in French) that I highly recommend [0]. He draws examples from many different artistic works to weave a fascinating story discussing to what extent we can or should stay faithful to the original intention of an artist or creator. [0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44382.Testaments_Betrayed https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44382.Testaments_Betraye...
- isolli 3y agoThis prompted me to check, and the first translation in French was in fact the translation of a translation of a translation [1]. No wonder it strayed from the original! The English translation went through similar ordeals [2]. The more recent ones are presumably more faithful: > The first translation by Paul Selver was heavily abridged, reducing the novel to about two thirds of its original length. Selver's translation also bowdlerized the original text, omitting paragraphs and occasionally pages that may have seemed offensive; despite this he has been praised for preserving some of the tension in the work between Literary and Common Czech. [1] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Aventures_du_brave_soldat_%C5%A0vejk#%C3%89ditions_fran%C3%A7aises https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Aventures_du_brave_soldat_... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Soldier_%C5%A0vejk#Translations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Soldier_%C5%A0vejk#Tr...
- dmurray 3y agoThe second comment on the article - worth reading in itself - is signed by Švejk himself, with a detailed criticism of the Parrott translation, recommending instead a 2000 translation by Sadlon. Anyone else have insight on which translation I should read?
- bitsinthesky 3y agoSadlon sells books in parts, i read the first book of his translation. Thought it was good, but given the needing to buy multiple books and the ugly cover art, I’m happy with Penguin. If it is true Penguin is an inferior translation or too flowery, it still reads as a very entertaining book.
- lioeters 3y agoFrom all the books I've read, the good soldier Švejk stands out as one of the most memorable characters. I love the style of the writing, how it shows the absurdity of bureaucracy, war, and society through the person of Švejk, perpetually drinking and getting into trouble, innocent like a dove and wise as a serpent, he always finds his way out of any predicament, while having his fun. He represents an aspect of the indomitable spirit of humanity and humor. The illustrations by Josef Lada are wonderful too, they are essential to the reading experience and imaginary world of the book.
- isolli 3y agoDid you read it in Czech? Apparently, finding a good translation is a bit of a minefield.
- lioeters 3y agoI read it in English, but some knowledge of Czech culture and geography (towns and Prague neighborhoods) added to the enjoyment of the book. The one I read was translated by Cecil Parrott (in 1973), but I learned there's a new translation (1997~) by a native Czech speaker: The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War, translated by Zdeněk "Zenny" Sadloň, in three volumes.
- fransje26 3y agoOne of the comments at the end of the article touches on the new translation.
- lioeters 3y agoOh that's a good one! Thanks for pointing that out, I want to read the newer translation now. > Cecil Parrott deliberately anglicized the novel.. What is stunning is the poverty and one-dimensional lexical register of the translator’s mother tongue. > Sir Cecil ultimately failed in rendering the “lazy argot”.. For example, he used the word “bastard” to render into English such varied words as “chlap” (sonofagun, guy, man), “kluk” (boy), “podlci” (moral degenerates), “lotry” (crooks), “sběř” (pack of rabble) and “pahejl” (stumpfoot). > ..which translation you read will give you a different experience with the titular character, and the story in general. In short, the Sadlon translation gives the reader a novel with extraordinarily more depth and layers than the Parrot translation. ..Parrot’s vernacular obscures the subtleties and nuances that make a huge difference in what Hašek was communicating to the reader.
- frankjr 3y agoA classic. The movie versions are available on YouTube with English subtitles but it's not the same. A part of the charm of Švejk played by Rudolf Hrušínský is the way he talks and that gets lost if you don't speak Czech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI9OKaz6yQ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI9OKaz6yQ0
- yread 3y agoThe czech audiobook read by Jan Werich https://youtu.be/JaNO4ZG3zn8?si=oc2YRdNurUNcX9LQ https://youtu.be/JaNO4ZG3zn8?si=oc2YRdNurUNcX9LQ is also great!
- flipthefrog 3y agoRemoved for copyright reasons, it says. Theres also a 1950s puppet film version directed by Jiri Trnka
- arethuza 3y agoI learned of The Good Soldier Švejk from Alexei Sayle's autobiography "Stalin ate my homework" - which I can strongly recommend, particularly the audiobook narrated by the author.
- pdimitar 3y agoOne of the very few books that literally had me rolling on the floor laughing -- not exaggerating for effect here, I have in fact fell from the sofa on the floor and started laughing until I wheezed and couldn't breathe. Especially the segment with the military preacher whom Švejk was an assistant of -- and when he had to get him home after he got dead-drunk. My gods, I can almost remember how much my tummy hurt back then! That being said, all the stuff about censorship and getting arrested for "treason" (basically for a political joke at the bar) hit too close to home for me, and I am from a former Soviet block country, and I found those pieces very depressing. Still, I went through all books -- several times -- and enjoyed them a lot. The author really captured a lot of absurdities very well.
- hilbert42 3y ago"...had me rolling on the floor laughing..." Same here, I was in tears I was laughing that much. I found it funny because I recognized those silly maddening situations from my own life. We all experience them but it takes a master like Hašek to remind us about how absurd they really are.
- avodonosov 3y ago> all the stuff about censorship and getting arrested for "treason" (basically for a political joke at the bar) hit too close to home for me, and I am from a former Soviet block country, and I found those pieces very depressing. You may probably find it curious that Hashek ended up being a bolshevik and a red army commissar.
- pdimitar 3y agoI would never endorse this but I also kind of understand: it's very easy to switch sides when you're seeing your own government face-plant all the time and never get anything meaningful done. That's one of the ways the ruling class wins: a new "promising" system gets promoted, it points at the mistakes of the current system and the people, tired of all the crap, end up voting for the new stuff, only to discover it's even worse... :( That has happened quite a lot in history, sadly (also I am aware that in the case of the USSR there was no voting involved, it was just a figure of speech).
- talkingtab 3y agoOne must wonder about the Czechs. There is the language for one thing. There is the resilience - Nazis, Communists and the Velvet Revolution. Then Closely Watched Trains, Zelary, Divided We Fall, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. And this. Maybe having an singular language does something?
- Toutouxc 3y ago> There is the language for one thing. > having an singular language What's that?
- ufocia 3y agoCzecho-Slovakia was a multicultural country with more than one language in common use. This was arguably one of the shortcomings that led to its WWII era capitulation.
- imp0cat 3y agoFirst, he OP specifically mentions "the Czechs", as in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia. Second, languages had nothing to do with it. There was an idea that sacrificing a part of Czechoslovakia will be enough to keep Hitler at bay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement).
- ufocia 3y agoWhich Czech part, Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, or ...? Was it the "regions with German-speaking majority"? Languages had everything to do with it. "Bohemia became a part of Czechoslovakia, defying claims of the German-speaking inhabitants that regions with German-speaking majority should be included in the Republic of German-Austria."
- imp0cat 3y agoBut German, the language, was spoken pretty much everywhere (thanks to the Austro-Hungarian legacy). The German-speaking inhabitants, that is a whole different story.
- rareitem 3y ago> Hašek ran for office as a member of his own newly founded Party of Moderate and Peaceful Progress Within the Limits of the Law From wikipedia > The platform of the candidate for the Vinorhady election district, Jaroslav Hašek, consisted of seven points:[16] The reintroduction of slavery. The nationalization of janitors ("similar to how it is in Russia [...], where every janitor is simultaneously a police informer"). The rehabilitation of animals. The institutionalization of feeble-minded MPs. The reintroduction of the Inquisition. Judicial immunity for priests and the Church ("In cases where a schoolgirl is deflowered by a priest"). The mandatory introduction of alcoholism.
- ufocia 3y agoYes, humor.
- frantathefranta 3y agoWell his Soviet escapades seem to suggest that not all of them were wholly humorous.
- The_Colonel 3y agoCan you be more specific? Which ones do you believe were serious?
- thriftwy 3y agoI believe these refer to the pre-Soviet state of affairs when the yard keeper (дворник) of an apartment block was basically subordinate to the city police - at least in the capital of St. Petersburg.
- ufocia 3y agoThat was probably the case also during the Soviet era. It may well be the case even today.
- maciekpaprocki 3y agoFor those that loved the book. Hasek also wrote an autobiography, which is even funnier than the life of Svejk. It's definitely made up quite a bit, but the stories in it are great. I cannot find english title ( it might have been not printed ), but transleting from polish it's called "3.5 beer". Spoilers!!! Stories include: - One time he wrote to paper called animals and unfortunately run out of animals to write, so he just started inventing them. It ended up in year long trip to Australia paid by some wealthy women who really wanted to get her own "Tasmanian Vampire" - Russian general invades city. Hasek knows the best way to stay alive is to have a drink with him. They get very drunk and general ask Hasek what's his biggest problem. Hasek says that the fact that people cannot read. Next day he wakes up to bunch of posters around the city saying that whoever will not be able to read by noon tomorrow will be executed.
- ufocia 3y agoThere are a number of beer themed books, but none of them even close to 3.5 beer. Perhaps you can post the Polish title.
- avodonosov 3y agoRemember that some autobiographical themes are used in the Shvejk book itself. In particular, the volunteer Marek had been an editor for an Animal World journal, where he published articles about made up animals. And even entered a public debate with some ornithologist who questioned his articles. That's in the chapter Skvejk's Adventures in Kyralyhida. If I remember correctly, Hashek was also selling dogs in real life (Shvejk's profession in the book).
- wly_cdgr 3y agoWow, what? How is my favorite novel the top result on HN right now.
- chalst 3y agoIs the sense of humour comparable to the Flashman series?
- mikrl 3y agoIt’s like catch 22 but more crude, and more brutal. Lots of drinking, stealing, fist fighting, long winded anecdotes (with plenty of embellishments) telling lies to get into / out of trouble, and ethnic humour reflecting the attitudes which were typical of the imperial period: Germans/Austrians look down on Czechs, Czechs resent the Germans and are unfriendly with Hungarians, the imperial soldiers harass Jews (who get them back in various ways) and there is a scene where the Czechs in military jail are practicing their Russian: for an assumed surrender at the front.
- chalst 3y agoI guess what you described, though unpleasant sounding, fitted the Czech Republic’s history. Perhaps that’s why hilbert42 liked it.
- MichaelRo 3y agoI tried to read the book as a kid when I was maybe 6h or 7th grade, along with Jules Verne and what else. Didn't finish it, heck, I abandoned it quickly. Maybe it's one of those things that you need to be an adult to appreciate. Unfortunately there's no lack of content nowadays, so I'm not sure I'll give the book another try.
- coredog64 3y agoThere’s an American version of this called “No Time For Sergeants” [0]. One of my favorites bits is when he takes color-blindness to the extreme. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Time_for_Sergeants https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Time_for_Sergeants
- limaoscarjuliet 3y agoI was raised in Eastern Bloc in 70 and 80s. Svejk was the classic we all read as teenagers. We have seen that as parody of communism and always wondered how is that book not censored or forbidden? Now I realize it describes any sufficient evolved (i.e. broken) system, which might have been good enough excuse for the soviets not to make it verbotten.
- aebtebeten 3y agoLike the joke about Stalin's underling muttering under his breath about "that bastard with the moustache", I wouldn't be surprised if either (a) the original censors had said "anti Austria-Hungary good" without giving a moment's thought as to how well the satire fit their own system, or (b) a particularly bright censor (or set of censors) realised they could always fall back on (a) for plausible deniability. Compare https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39697389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39697389 (or https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/b/ba/Sharik_Figvam.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/b/ba/Sharik_Figvam... ?)
- Andrew_nenakhov 3y agoI think it wasn't censored because it was so critical of imperialism, so soviet censors viewed it as 'progressive' and aiding their cause. I think it never occurred to censors that the satire of the book would transcend the Austro-Hungarian Empire and would work as a satire of a soviet bureaucracy just as well. This, it was widely available both in USSR and in other Eastern Block countries, and even had luxury editions, I still have one such edition.
- timeon 3y agoAustro-Hungarian bureaucracy is still alive here in Slovakia. It is bigger than EU bureaucracy. The Empire is eternal.
- analog31 3y agoIn English, there is at least one Bowdlerized translation, which ruins it. I found the Penguin Books edition to be quite good. It was my grandfather's favorite novel. He fought on the other side.
- maximinus_thrax 3y agoThis is my comfort book. I've read it 6 or 7 times, first time when I was around 12 years old. It's a book which still has the ability to pull me out of whatever pit I am at certain times.
- bitsinthesky 3y agoI think an entrepreneur should establish a tour in the Czech lands, to walk in the footsteps of švejk as of when he drank away the money for his train ticket sending his company to the front, thereby forcing him to zig zag across the land in the hope of rejoining them. It will be the Czech Camino de Santiago, and one must carry a pipe and a bottle of slivovic as they go.
- romwell 3y ago>I think an entrepreneur should establish a tour in the Czech lands, to walk in the footsteps of švejk as of when he drank away the money for his train ticket sending his company to the front, thereby forcing him to zig zag across the land in the hope of rejoining them. It will be the Czech Camino de Santiago, and one must carry a pipe and a bottle of slivovic as they go. Pretty sure I've seen ads for exactly that kind of tour. Might be a false memory. But in any case, it's my goal to do that sort of pilgrimage when I get to properly spend time in Czechia.
- jug 3y agoRelated, popular Czech pub in Stockholm :D https://maps.app.goo.gl/GbNAjLTPCpNwkSwf9 https://maps.app.goo.gl/GbNAjLTPCpNwkSwf9
- scyzoryk_xyz 3y agoMy underground Nazi-resistance fighter, Auschwitz survivor and later staunch-idealist socialist-communist grandfather loved this book and identified with it deeply. Edit: I might add that this book and author had a similar sort of status on this side of the iron curtain as Joseph Heller and his military Catch-22 humor.
- nutrie 3y agoInteresting. I didn't know Svejk was popular at all outside Czechia. I must say, it's somewhat a bittersweet realization. The way I and many other Czechs see it, Hasek did us quite a disservice. Still, if you guys enjoy it, hats down.
- spacechild1 3y agoIt is very popular in Austrian, in particular the TV series from the 70s with Fritz Muliar as the main actor 1972: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Abenteuer_des_braven_Soldaten_Schwejk_(Fernsehserie) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Abenteuer_des_braven_Solda.... The theatre plays are also quite popular. I even read the novel as a kid because my father had it in his library :) Why do you think Hasek did you a disservice?
- nutrie 3y agoIn a nutshell, we did it to ourselves by excessively promoting the novel over the course of many decades. Starting with the avant-garde movements of the 20's, through the communism era (Hasek was a socialist and a communist) to this day, we've been essentially saying Svejk characterizes the true nature of what it means to be a Czech. You literally hear school teachers tell their students a drunk devious simpleton is considered a role model. The topic is quite complex, there's more history and politics involved, but I'm not going there. Disclaimer: By no means am I criticizing the book or people who like it.
- mcepl 3y agoI am a Czech as well, and although I know exactly what you are talking about, I have found my own way towards Švejk lately. I am afraid (all of them awesome artists, but too much pushing the novel in the humour direction) Lada, Hrušínský, and Trnka are guilty a lot for the feeling which is prevalent now. Contrary to that, I was fascinated a lot by listening to M.C.Putna’s discussion of Švejk in https://www.mujrozhlas.cz/putnuv-jihocesky-literarni-mistopis/j-hasek-putim-4-3-2007 https://www.mujrozhlas.cz/putnuv-jihocesky-literarni-mistopi... and by listening to the novel in audio, where he understands basically Švejk as “Kafka by other means”, and there is a lot to it.
- projektfu 3y agoI love this book and, having read it, it gave me a new was of looking at "Gomer Pyle, USMC". Probably not the intention of the series creator, but imagining Pyle as much smarter than he lets on and quite mischievous is a lot of fun.
- troad 3y agoAmusing anecdote - last year I tried to buy a copy of Švejk in Prague and I had the following exchange in a bookshop (in Czech). Me: "Hello, do you have a copy of Švejk?" Assistant: "No." M: "Uh, OK, do you know of anyone that might?" A: "No, no one has any Švejk right now!" M: "I see. Is there any reason for that?" A: "Everyone has already read it." walks off in a huff It seemed somehow fitting. 'You can't read Švejk because everyone has already read it, and we're insulted you'd even ask for it in our bookshop.' There's a reason the Czech lands have given the rest of the world both Hašek and Kafka!
- ufocia 3y agoThey probably read copies from their libraries.
- dhosek 3y agoThere are a pair of Czech films based on the novels which are delightful to watch. I don’t know if they’re streaming anywhere, I watched them in the days of DVDs in the mail from Netflix.
- rekoros 3y agoI loved this book growing up - I’ve read it many times and remember it being really funny. I only read it Russian and have never seen the words “Švejk” or “Hašek” in non-Cyrillic. Also! In Russian, “the good” is translated as “the brave”.
- c-smile 3y agoI am not sure that "good soldier" is a correct translation. Czech "dobrého vojáka" is more "of brave (in `dashing` conotation) soldier". So Hašek's humor starts right from the title.
- The_Colonel 3y ago"good" is an exact translation of "dobry" Maybe Hasek intended a double meaning of "dobry vojak" as a) good-natured soldier and b) high-quality soldier (which would be sarcasm), but TBH the option b) just never occurred to me (I'm a native Czech speaker).
- int_19h 3y ago"Good" ended up the default meaning in many Slavic languages, but its original meaning was much broader (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/dobr%D1%8A https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/d...), and AFAIK those other meanings are still understood if considered archaic - is that not the case in Czech?
- The_Colonel 3y ago> but its original meaning was much broader (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/d https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/d...) Is it really that broad? There are many examples, but none really deviates from "good". In pretty much everyone of them, I could just use "good" and it would work OK. The only reference to "dobry" meaning "brave" is this: > Cognate with Latvian dabravecis (“brave, prudent man”). But Czech was likely not heavily influenced by Latvian. Honestly, I think people should just stop assuming that if word X means Y in a Slavic language A, that it should have the same meaning in a Slavic language B. I see these kind of broken assumptions very often, but there are way too many false friends for this to work.
- drewzero1 3y agoI was introduced to the character by way of Bertolt Brecht's Schweyk im zweiten Weltkrieg (Švejk in the Second World War)[0], which was meant as a sequel to Hašek's original and which I read in school- unfortunately too long ago to remember much of anything but Švejk's good-natured bumbling. We also read Biedermann und die Brandstifter (The Fire Raisers/The Arsonists)[1], also by Brecht, which I remember somewhat more vividly. The main character is an ordinary guy who thinks he could never be fooled by arsonists, but allows a pair of them to fill his home with flammable material and ends up aiding them in his own demise. I worry that we have failed to learn the lessons of this kind of Nachkriegsliteratur (Post-WWII literature). 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweik_in_the_Second_World_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweik_in_the_Second_World_Wa... 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fire_Raisers_(play) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fire_Raisers_(play)
- leiaru13 3y agoA favorite of both my dad and I. I've only read it twice -- once as a teenager and once as a college junior -- and loved it both times, while he rereads it every so often. As my dad would say, it's the type of book that you can read many times and discover something new every time.